Do You Know What Is Your Laminate Flooring Made Of?
Laminate floors found in the market these days are hybrid floor covering that consists of a certain particleboard wood base. This is topped by a certain image layer and also a transparent wear layer.
These laminate floors are quite a popular floor type covering for home kitchen, living areas, dining areas, hall ways, bedrooms, and other areas where there is no presence of excessive moisture.
These laminate floors were first invented in 1977 by one Swedish company called Perstorp. This company landed with an idea to use up waste woods by subjecting them to intensely high heat, pressure, and binding chemicals and then turning the entire result into a usable floor covering.
After that, many other manufacturers like Dupont, Armstrong, Mannington, and Shaw have now started making laminate floors.
What are the constituents of laminate?
Laminate flooring is constructed of four layers:
- Wear
- Design
- Core
- Back layer.
Each of its layers will serve a distinct purpose and they are fused together by using intense pressure and high heat.
The following is a breakdown of all these layers.
- Back layer: It is the bottom layer that is responsible for protecting the entire plank against moisture, and also balances the complete floor.
- Core layer: Just above the back layer, there is a durable and high-density board meant for protection from moisture and indentations.
- Design layer: Above the core layer is a very high-resolution photograph that shows the surface appearance of the floor.
- Wear Layer: This is the top layer, which is a clear layer and made of alluminium oxide and protects against any stains, fading, and surface burns.
Some of the characteristics of laminate flooring are as follows:
- Laminate floors are more durable now and also easier to install. They also look more realistic.
- Durability is one of the biggest strengths of laminate flooring.
- The decor-layer printing used on the laminate flooring is now getting better and better.
- Laminate flooring can easily be installed over your existing floor.
- Laminate flooring is highly resistant to stains
How durable is laminate?
Laminate floorings will make an extremely durable product due to it having a multi-layer construction. Mostly the laminate offers resistance to scratch, fading, and also is quite easy to clean.
Due to the durability of laminate flooring, it will allow for the absorption of very heavy traffic and can make it an ideal choice for flooring material for any active families having young kids and pets that are running around.
This product will also be good for bathrooms and kitchens only if you take proper precautions such as putting a moisture barrier. However, this product is not meant for areas with very high moisture. By taking proper care, your laminate flooring can look almost like new.
Like all other floor coverings types, these laminate floors also need a good and solid subfloor. In some instances, if the subfloor is not sufficient then an intervening underlayment by using thin plywood can be installed just above the subfloor and also below the foam underlayment.